House Wren out at Denning’s Point State Park, 6/1/13.
I got up early to try to beat the heat this morning and headed out to Denning’s Point State Park. I had not been out there since last year, so I was hoping to have some luck with Green Herons and Black-crowned Night Herons. As it turned out, the park was not extremely birdy on this day and I did not see any herons at all. All told I had 22 species, many of which were only heard. On my way back to the car I enjoyed the highlight of the visit, an amazing Red-tail Hawk with beautiful markings.
I love the markings on this bird, particularly the very light head and the very dark area at the base of the bill – I’m not sure if that would be considered the Mustachial stripe or the Malar (or both?). Red-tailed Hawk on a light post at Denning’s Point State Park, 6/1/13.I sat on a rock and watched this bird for a good while. Periodically a Red-winged Blackbird would dive-bomb the hawk……eventually the hawk had had enough and took off, giving me a great look at its gorgeous red tail.
I left Denning’s Point and then headed to Kenridge Farm. I walked the extensive trails there for close to two hours and although I did not see or hear anything our of the ordinary, I did pretty well, identifying 28 species of birds. My “best birds” where: Brown Thrasher, four Killdeer (two of which I believe were immatures), a female Mallard with ducklings, and a pair of Green Herons.
I finally got a good enough look at a Green Heron for a photo. Kenridge Farm 6/1/13.Three of four Killdeer out at Kenridge Farm, 6/1/13.
The heat was getting pretty unbearable and the harsh sun was making for difficult photography when I wrapped it up at 11:30 am. It was a morning of enjoyable, but not amazing, birding.
Chestnut-sided Warbler at the Stop Sign Trail at the Basha Kill, 5/18/13.
In a brave move, I went out to the Basha Kill solo this morning. As you probably know, I do plenty of birding alone, but in this case I say it is brave because it is warbler season, and this being only my second year of looking for warblers, it still does not come very easily to me. I find both aspects of looking for warblers a challenge: 1. birding by ear, and 2. finding these littlest of birds in the vastness of the rapidly growing foliage. I felt pretty good about it when I was out, I was really enjoying myself. But by the end of the morning, I had only totaled 6 species of warblers, which is not exactly spectacular. Even though I did not get many warblers, I was seeing, hearing and identifying many birds. I ended the morning with 41 species, which a very nice total for me. Here’s my list for the day:
This was one of the highlights of the morning for me, one of two White-crowned Sparrows at the Deli Fields, 5/18/13.
Canada Goose X
Wood Duck 4
Mallard 5
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 10
Green Heron 1
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 7
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Chimney Swift 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Eastern Phoebe 3
Eastern Kingbird 4
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Warbling Vireo X
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 1
These little Yellow Warblers are everywhere right now, and I think they take nice photos. This one was at the Nature Trail, 5/18/13.
Barn Swallow 8
Veery 1
Wood Thrush 4
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher 1
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat X
American Redstart 6
Magnolia Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler X
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow X
Swamp Sparrow 2
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Baltimore Oriole X
American Goldfinch 6
This was my first opportunity to photograph a Wood Thrush. This is a bit noisy and also a little soft because of the low light. Nature Trail, Basha Kill 5/18/13.I had my first of season AMERICAN BITTERN shortly after arriving at Haven Road this morning. For a change, the bird was pretty easy to pick out in the sea of green.Always photogenic, Eastern Phoebe at Haven Road, 5/18/13.
Here are ten more photos from our Colorado trip. Some are life birds, some birds we see at home all the time, all are photos that felt were worth sharing.
1.
American Kestrels are numerous in the Fort Collins area. Posing on a cattail at Cathie Fromme Prairie, 5/2/13.
2.
Western Kingbird in the snow at Cathie Fromme Prairie, 5/2/13.
3.
American Kestrel by Horsetooth Reservoir, Larimer County CO. 5/6/13. We pulled up alongside this bird and he never flew, I handed the camera to Tricia and she got a great shot. I love the detail in this photo.
4.
Horned Lark at Pawnee Grasslands, 5/3/13. This is the best look I’ve ever gotten of the “horns” of the Horned Lark.
5.
Yellow-headed Blackbird at Cattail Pond in Loveland Colorado, 5/2/13.
6.
This Black-billed Magpie was so close I had trouble keeping the bird in frame. Rocky Mountain NP 5/5/13.
7.
This image is a little soft but I like the bird – Western Bluebird at Chautauqua Park in Boulder Colorado, 5/4/13.
8.
Male Mountain Bluebird at Cathie Fromme Prairie 5/2/13.
9.
I would have liked to get a better shot of the red-shafted Northern Flicker. We saw many of them but this was my best shot. Cathie Fromme Prairie 5/2/13.
10.
This is my first photo of a Broad-winged Hawk that was not a speck in the sky. Bobcat Ridge in Fort Collins CO, 5/6/13.
I went to Wallkill River NWR and walked the Liberty Loop this morning. I went out primarily looking for warblers, but I only managed to find several Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats. I was pleasantly surprised to find my first Bobolinks of the season, and to make it even better they were within decent photo distance. These photos are a bit noisy; I had the ISO very high because the morning was very gray.
One of two Bobolinks seen at Wallkill River NWR, 5/11/13.Here’s another shot of the same bird with a closer crop.Two of two. Bobolink out at Wallkill River NWR, 5/11/13.An extremely buttery Goldfinch at Wallkill River NWR 5/11/13.It has been fun and challenging getting back to shooting song birds. Song Sparrow at Wallkill River NWR, 5/11/13.
I guess it is a busy time of year, both in real life and in my birding life. I have managed to get out birding, but it has been harder to find the time to write posts about it. On Friday I had some work on Long Island, so I decided to stay the night with my sister Meghan and her husband Tim. After my appointments I went up to Lloyd Harbor to do some birding. I stopped at West Neck Beach briefly and got some good looks at a flock of Brandt and took some photos of a cooperative Great Egret:
Great Egret at West Neck Beach in Lloyd Harbor NY, 4-19-13.
I then continued up to Target Rock NWR, which was a nice spot and fun to explore but relatively few birds were present. I did get a nice look at a couple of Little Blue Herons (a life bird for me!) and several Snowy Egrets.
A juvenile Little Blue Heron at Target Rock NWR, 4-19-13.Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron at Target Rock NWR, 4-19-13.
I only stayed at Target Rock for a short time; I was going to meet Meghan at Heckscher Park in Huntington. There had been a Tufted Duck at the pond there for quite some time. On my way back I stopped on the road where I had 10 Long-tailed Ducks (out too far for photos), a couple of Osprey and many Greater Yellowlegs.
An Osprey stretches its wings. Lloyd Harbor NY, 4-19-13.Osprey in flight, Lloyd Harbor NY, 4-19-13.Osprey on a wire with what I am pretty sure is a goldfish! Lloyd Harbor NY, 4-19-13.
I kind of like this shot of three Greater Yellowlegs, which seemed to be everywhere in Lloyd Harbor.
We did not locate the Tufted Duck at Heckscher Park, but we did have a good look at an Osprey looking for fish in the pond, many Double Crested Cormorants, and this leucistic Canada Goose that was causing a ruckus:
On Saturday, Tim and I played golf at Bergen Point Golf Course on the south shore of Long Island. I had my camera with me but I did not manage to get any photos of the many Osprey that where fishing in the ponds on the course. It was a short but sweet visit to Long Island with good birding too!
I hope that there is still an interest in seeing the Northern Harriers out at the grasslands, because for me it is still very exciting. To be in the blind and have these amazing birds fly so close to me is a real thrill that has not worn thin for me at all. Yesterday I went out because my friend Ed sent me some fabulous Short-eared Owl photos. They were up early and he took full advantage of it. The owls got up a little early yesterday, but I had a small window to get some photos and it just didn’t work out for me. I did have some more luck with what seems to be a young male Northern Harrier:
You can’t see it from the parking lot, but there is a fairly good-sized pond at the grasslands:
That is where this Great Blue Heron was heading when he flew right over the photo blind. It was very strange for me to see a GBHE flying low over the grasslands!
There were several Eastern Meadowlarks present but none got very close to me.
Here is my best Short-eared Owl photo from the night. I was disappointed, but it was still really amazing to see the owls.
Tricia and I spent the holiday weekend with her family in Baldwinsville New York, which is just outside of Syracuse. Shortly after we arrived on Saturday we took a family excursion to Derby Hill Bird Observatory, which is a good hawk watch for spring raptor migration. Turkey Vultures and Red-tail Hawks were the most numerous migrants, but we saw a good variety of migrating raptors. Highlights included a young Bald Eagle that flew over soon after our arrival, and a low flying Merlin that we saw while we were exploring the shore of Lake Ontario.
An immature Bald Eagle flies over Derby Hill Hawk Watch in Mexico, NY 3-30-13.
Turkey Vulture – many
Bald Eagle – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – many
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
Cooper’s Hawk – 1
Northern Harrier – 1
Merlin – 1
Canada Goose – many
Snow Goose – many
Later that evening we had a large skein of Canada Geese, a large skein of Snow Geese, and a smaller group of swans fly over the house at the same time. I went running for my camera and managed a shot of the swans:
Although I don’t think there is any way to tell, I am thinking that these are Tundra Swans because of the number of birds. Apparently Trumpeter Swans tend to be in smaller groups.
6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary
Song Sparrows were plentiful at 6 1/2 Station Road, 4-1-13.
On Monday after work I stopped by 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary where it was pretty dead. I did not stay long as I was under-dressed for the cold; for some reason I thought it was much warmer out. Song Sparrow numbers were up, as were Green-winged Teal numbers, and the Ring-necked Ducks are still hanging around.
I really enjoy the Killdeer. I’ve been trying to get a good flight photo of one, but no luck yet. Wallkill River NWR, 4-2-13.
Wallkill River NWR
I met Karen Miller out at Wallkill River NWR after work on Tuesday. We walked the Liberty Loop, it was cold but very enjoyable. We put together a respectable species list and took a lot of photos.
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan 2 (photo right)
Wood Duck 17
American Black Duck 2
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal 4
Northern Pintail 8
Green-winged Teal 150
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 3
Northern Harrier 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Killdeer 2
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Eastern Phoebe 1 (photo right)
American Crow X
Common Raven 1
Tree Swallow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
American Robin 6
Song Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal 1
A couple of the many Mallards seen out at Wallkill River NWR, 4-2-13.Green-winged Teals were easily the most numerous bird at Wallkill River NWR 4-2-13.A male American Kestrel shows off his “string of pearls”. Wallkill River NWR 4-2-13.The Blue-winged Teal is a BEAUTIFUL bird. I can’t wait to get a good photo…Wallkill River NWR 4-2-13.
One of the TWO Ross’s Geese that I saw out at the Camel Farm, 3-9-13.
I made my way out to the Camel Farm this morning, stopping at some of the likely places to find geese, but did not have any luck. The Camel Farm was another story, with approximately 3,000 Snow Geese and more than a few birders present. After about an hour of scanning the Snows for Ross’s Geese, a birder that I don’t believe is local and that I’ve never met, located a Ross’s Goose. We got distant but good looks at this bird that I believe is a first winter Ross’s Goose. The bird was noticeably smaller than the surrounding Snow Geese and the more round head and smaller bill were easy to see. The bird also had a gray wash at the base of the neck, which matches the first winter bird as shown on page 43 of The Crossley Guide. We lost the bird the next time the birds picked up and flew. I tried for the next half hour or so to relocate the bird without any luck.
John Haas showed up not too long after that and located the adult Ross’s Goose in the above photo. It was remarkable really, John found the bird inside of 10 minutes and the birds flew moments after he found it. Once the birds settled down again, John found the bird again, this time in probably less than 5 minutes! This time everyone present (there were many birders there) got a good look at the bird. Thanks again John!
Snows in the air and snow on the ground. Snow Geese at the Camel Farm 3-9-13.I can’t get enough of these geese, they are so much fun to watch. Snow Geese at the Camel Farm 3-9-13.
The other highlight of the morning was three Tundra Swans, also at the Camel Farm:
Only one of these three Tundra Swans would cooperate for a photo. Camel Farm, 3-9-13.
After the Camel Farm I went to my usual spot to try to get some photos, Wallkill River NWR. I walked part of the Liberty Loop and did well with seeing many ducks (two Northern Shovelers were my FOS), and I managed a couple photos of a male American Kestrel.
A male American Kestrel in flight at Wallkill River NWR 3-9-13.Hovering AMKE at Wallkill River NWR 3-9-13.I didn’t post this at first because of the wire but I like the image of the bird. AMKE at Wallkill River NWR 3-9-13.
Today was the day after Winter Storm Nemo. Approximately 14 inches of snow fell here in Goshen, so I donned my snow shoes and hit the Heritage Trail that leads to 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary. It was a tough walk, but very enjoyable. I did not find any out of the ordinary birds, but many of the usual suspects made a good showing.
The most interesting aspect of the day for me was noticing how the snow lit the underside of the birds as they flew over. The amount of detail I could see on this Red-tailed Hawk was fascinating to me. And as the crows flew over I was seeing colors and highlights I never really noticed before. For both of these birds, what I was seeing came through in my photos. I also had several Black Vultures that looked SO different to me, it was amazing – unfortunately it did not come through in my photos. I also had several Ring-billed Gulls fly over that were the brightest, cleanest white I’ve ever seen; none were very close so I was unable to get any photos.
A young Red-tailed Hawk with plenty of details showing. 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 2-9-13.One more of the same Red-tail, 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary 2-9-13.An American Crow flies over, well lit from the fresh snow fall. 6 1/2 Station Rd Sanctuary, 2-9-13.
I was interested in getting some photos of birds in the snow, but it never really panned out. Here are a couple decent shots from the day.
This is one of my best shots of a Downy Woodpecker. For some reason I just haven’t gotten a good one yet…Song Sparrow in the snow on the Heritage Trail near 6 1/2 Station Road Sanctuary, 2-9-13.
Update: I was thinking today that I have not included many species lists in my posts lately. I think it’s probably because my lists have been pretty sparse. On this day I did pretty well, totaling 15 species for the day. I also used the app Birdlog on my iPhone for the first time. It is actually pretty cool and it allows you to easily keep track the species and their numbers while in the field. I enjoyed using it on this day, but I am interested to see if I start to use it all the time. Here’s my list for the day:
Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 7
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Ring-billed Gull 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 38
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse 1
European Starling 12
American Tree Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 3
Dark-eyed Junco 1
I made a quick stop by Skinner Lane today and got lucky with this beautiful Rough-legged Hawk.
What a surprise to find this beautiful very dark Rough-legged Hawk today at Skinner Lane.Here’s a good look at the under wing pattern. RLHA at Skinner Lane 2-3-13.
From my car I watched this bird hunt over a small field for nearly 45 minutes and it did not seem bothered by my presence, but as you can see from this photo, the hawk definitely knew I was there. When I left the bird was in the same tree looking away from me and scanning the field below.
Here’s a couple more:
RLHA at Skinner Lane 2-3-13RLHA at Skinner Lane 2-3-13.
